Rod comprising bonded fibrous material and method of making same



July 3, 1951 N. w. KNEWSTUBB ErAL 2,553,855

ROD COMPRISING BONDED FIBROUS MATERIAL I AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME I Filed March a, 1945 t 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvsu'rons NORMA/V WATSON KNEWSTUBE CHARLES ALEXANDER R088 July 3, 1951 N. w. KNEWSTUBB ETAL 2,558,855

ROD COMPRISING BONDED FIBROUS MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed larch 3, 1945 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll i INVENTOR S NORMAN WA TS ON KNE W5 TUBE CHARLES ALEXANDER ROBE I'IIIIIIII'II 1 ATTO Patented July 3, 1951 ROD COMPRISING BONDED FIBBOUS MA- TERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Norman Watson Knewstubb, Solihnll, Birmingham, and Charles Alexander Robb, Moseley, Birmingham, England, assignors, by meme assignments, to Union Carbide and Carbon Gorporation, a corporation of New York Application March 3, 1945, Serial No. 580,912 In Great Britain March 6, 1944 13 Claims. 1

This invention is for improvements in or relating to rods comprising bonded fibrous material.

A rod of this type is normally prepared by rolling a sheet of fibrous material such as paper or textile material, which has been treated with binder, around a mandrel of small cross-sectional area, extracting the mandrel and then subjecting the resulting tube-like element to combined heat and mechanical pressure in such a manner that the tube collapses and a solid rod results. A disadvantage associated with this method is that the collapsing of the tube-like element is seldom completely efiected and thus the material at the core of the rod tends to be of lower density than the rest of the rod and another disadvantage is that normally the application of sufflcient pressure to collapse the tube requires the use of rigid and expensive dies which are necessarily limited in regard to length.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and eflicient method of preparing rods free from the disadvantages above referred to.

According to the present invention, a process for the manufacture of rods comprising bonded fibrous material includes the steps of impregnating and/or coating longitudinally-arranged fibres or fibrous elements with a bonding agent and applying twist and tension to a bundle of the treated fibres and, if necessary, heating to effect bonding of the fibres.

The term "longitudinally-arranged fibres or fibrous elements" is used in this specification to include filaments, slivers, rovings, yarns, threads, cables, strings and ropes, and also string-like elements prepared by twisting felted or woven fibrous materials. The fibres may be organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic. For convenience of handling, the fibres may be enclosed within a sheath or tube of woven material.

Fibrous material in sheet or tape form and treated with bonding agent may be wound around the twisted longitudinally-arranged fibres or fibrous elements before, during, or after the latter have been subjectedto heating, so that in the resultant rod the longitudinally-arranged fibres form a solid core.

After the longitudinally-arranged fibres or fibrous elements have been impregnated with a bonding agent, the content of the latter may be controlled by passing the impregnated fibres through a die or through squeeze rolls to eliminate surplus binder.

Twist and tension may be applied to the fibres or fibrous elements simultaneously.

The rods of the present invention, unlike those made by conventional methods, are not limited in length by the dimensions of available moulds, but may be prepared in continuous lengths.

The bonding agent may be organic or inorganic such as sodium silicate or Portland cement. It may consist of resinous material which may be thermoplastic (such as colophony, shellac, cellulose derivatives or polymerisation products) or may be thermosetting (such as the condensation products of formaldehyde with a phenol, a urea, or anaminotriazine). The bonding agent may be a rubber-like material and may include natural or synthetic rubber.

Following is a description by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing of methods of carrying the invention into effect.

In the drawing:

. Figure 1 shows a hank of cotton yarn H supported by a cord i2 and undergoing impregnation with an aqueous solution of a heat-hardenable phenol-formaldehyde condensation product in a bath l3.

Figure 2 shows the hank Ii, after removal from bath l3, being passed through a die I for the removal of surplus liquid.

Figure 3 shows, as an alternative to the die of Figure 2, adjustable squeeze rolls I5, It for the removal of surplus liquid from the impregnated hank.

Figure 4 shows the impregnated hank ll suspended in a drying oven fitted with heating means l8 and a thermometer l9.

Figure 5 shows the dried impregnated hank suspended from a hook 20 in an oven 2| and sub- J'ected to tension by means of a weight 22 fitted with a bar 23 for subsequent rotation of the weight. The oven is provided with heating means 24, thermometer 25 and sockets 26 and 21 to receive posts for locking the bar 23 against rotation.

Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5 except that twist in the impregnated hank II has been imparted by twisting the weight 22 by means of the bar 23 and the bar has been locked against untwisting by the insertion of posts 28, 29 in the sockets 26 and 21.

Figure 7 shows excess of hardened resin on the surface of the cured and twisted hank ll being removed by a machining operation to produce a finished rod as at 38.

Figure 8 shows a finished rod as 30 (Figure '7 which has been used as a core for building up a larger diameter rod by winding on turns of resinimpregnated or resin-coated paper 3| and turns of resin-impregnated textile material in the form of tape 32 from a reel 33.

' impregnation in a bath of an aqueous solution 01' a heat-hardenable phenol-formaldehyde condensation product.

Figure 10 shows the impregnated, sheathed enclmed yarn 35 after removal from the impregnating bath being passed through a die H for the removal of surplus liquid.

Figure 11 is similar to Figure 6 and shows the twisting and tensioning of the sheathed and impregnated yarn 35 by means of the weighted bar 23 which has been locked against untwisting by the insertion of posts 28, 29 in the sockets 26 and 21.

Example 2,500 ends 60's counts cotton yarn ll, supported as at I! are impregnated by dipping, in the bunk form, into an aqueou solution of a bath I3 of heat-hardenable phenol-formaldehyde condensation product made by reacting phenol and aqueous formaldehyde in the presence of an alkaline condensing agent. The surplus liquid may be removed by passing the impregnated hank I I through a die l4 (Figure 2) or through a pair of squeeze rolls l5, I6 in which the gap is so adjusted that the product when subsequently dried contains approximately 60 parts'of resin and 40 parts of cotton. The impregnated hank is dried :for 30 minutes at 110 C. as shown in Figure 4 and is then suspended from a support in an oven 2! (Figures 5 and 6) and at the same time sub-.

jected to a tension of 56 pounds by means of a weight 22 attached to the bottom of the hank and provided with ready mean for rotating and locking against rotation (as bar 23). Immediately after the application of the load, the imp e nated hank is twisted by rotating the weight 22 by means of bar 23 (Figure 6) in such a manner that the threads are twisted through 60 per inch of length. The twisted hank is locked by posts 28 and 29 and is heated under tension !or 2 hours. at 120 C. to harden the resinous binder. I After removal of the resinous surface by any of the conventional machining methods (as diagrammatically shown in. Figure 7), a finished rod of approximately 0.25 inch diameter Y :is produced. A rod (partly shown at llL Figure '1) made in'the manner described above may, if

desired, be utilised either in the cured ;or semi-v cured form, as a core in the production of a larger rod by winding on it a suitable number hardening by one of the conventional methods.

- We claim:

1. A process for the manufacture of rodswith .ously to a bundle of the said treated fibrous ele- -ments while solidifying the bonding agent to form a rod having a solidcore.

2. A process for the manufacture of rods with solid cores comprising bonded fibrous material,

which process'comprises treating, with a bonding agent, longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements,

4 5 ments while solidifying the bonding agent to form a rod having a solid core.

3. A process for the manufacture of rods with solid cores comprising bonded fibrous material, which process comprises treating, with a heathardenable bonding agent, longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements applying tension and twist simultaneously to a bundle of the said treated fibrous elements, winding fibrous material treated with a heat-hardenable bonding agent around the said twisted bundle of fibrous elements and applying heat to effect hardening of the bonding agent while maintaining the wound fibrous material under tension and twist to form a rod having a solid core.

4. A process for the manufacture of rods with solid cores comprising bonded fibrous material, which process comprises treating, with a heathardenable bonding agent, longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements, applying tension and twist simultaneously to a bundle of the said treated fibrous elements, heating to harden the bonding agent while the fibrous material is subjected to tension and twist to form a rod having a solid core, winding fibrous material treated with a heat-hardenable bonding agent around the rod and applying heat to effect hardening of'the bonding agent.

5. A process for the manufacture of rods with solid cores comprising bonded fibrous material, which process comprises treating, with a liquid heat-hardenable bonding agent, longitudinallyarranged fibrous elements, removing surplus liquid from the fibrous elements, drying the said fibrous elementsand applying tension and twist simultaneously while heating to efl'ect hardening of the bonding agent to form a rod having a solid core.

6. A process for the manufacture of rods with solid cores comprising bonded fibrous material,

I solid cores comprising bonded fibrous material,

. solidifying the bonding agent to form a rod having a solid core, the said bonding agent being an organic bonding agent.

8. A process for the manufacture Of rods with solid cores comprising bonded fibrous material,

of 'of impregnated or'coated paper and/or textile material as indicated in Figure 8 and which processcomprises treating, with a-bonding agent, longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements, applyin tension and twist simultaneously to a bundle of the said treated'fibrous elements while I ,which process comprises treating, with a thermoa bundle oithe said fibrous elements being enclosed in a sheath or tube permeable to the bonding agent and applying tension and twist simultaneously to the sheathed and treated fibrous eleplastic resinous bondin agent, longitudinallyarranged fibrous elements, applying tension and twist simultaneously to a bundle of the said treated fibrous elements while applying heat to bring about eil'ective bonding of the fibrous elements, and solidifying the resin while maintaining the .bundle under twist and tension to form a rod having a solid core.

9. A process for the manufacture of rods with solid cores in continuous lengths which rods comprise longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements bonded together, the process comprisin moving an assembly of the said fibrous elements through a liquid containing heat-hardenable resin, removing surplus liquid from the assembly, drying the impregnated assembly under conditions that preclude the hardening of the resin, subjecting the assembly to twist and tension simultaneously and while subjected to uch twist and tension hardening the resin by heating to form a rod having a solid core.

10. A process for the manufacture of rods with solid cores which rods comprise longitudinallyarranged fibrous elements bonded together with heat-hardenable bondin agent which process comprises treating an assembly of the said fibrous elements with an aqueous liquid containing the bonding agent, removing surplus liquid from the fibrous elements, removing water from the assembly of elements by heating, subjecting the assembly to tension and twist and at the same time to heat so as to harden the bondin agent thereby forming a rod with a solid core, machining the rod, wrapping the machined rod with fibrous material impregnated with heat-hardenable resin and hardening the material by heating.

11. A solid-core rod comprising a bonded assembly of tensed and twisted longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements, said assembly being characterized by rigidity and machineability.

12. A solid-core rod assembly of tensed and twisted longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements impregnated and bonded with synthetic resin, said assembly being characterized by rigidity and machineability.

13. A solid-core rod assembly of tensed and twisted longitudinally-arranged fibrous elements impregnated and bonded with heat-hardened synthetic resin, said assembly being characterized by rigidity and machineability.

NORMAN WATSON KNEWSTUBB. CHARLES ALEXANDER ROBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,019 Metcalf Dec. 12, 1933 171,185 Splitdorf Dec. 14, 1875 812,837 Federv Feb. 20, 1906 928,266 Morris July 20, 1909 1,203,896 Morris Nov. 7, 1916 1,205,376 Morris Nov. 21, 1916 1. 2.5 5 Stevenson Oct. 4, 1921 1,411,786 Hopkinson Apr. 4, 1922 1,567,574 Clay Dec. 29, 1925 1,654,944 Penfold et al Jan. 3, 1928 1,923,168 Simmons Aug. 22, 1933 2,055,776 Saladino Sept. 29, 1986 2,104,730 Bjorkman Jan. 11, 1938 2,158,771 Beckwith May 16, 1939 I 2,210,432 Roesch Aug. 6, 1940 2,220,958 Jennings Nov. 12, 1940 2,243,917 Owens June 3, 1941 2,245,824 Roesch June 17, 1941 2,288,072 Collins June 30, 1942 2,349,975 Mackenzie May 30, 1944 2,363,871 Keen et al Nov. 28, 1944' 2,364,134 Dow et a1 Dec. 5, 1944 2,379,881 Chamberlain July 10, 1945 2,419,328 Watson Apr. 22, 1947 2,427,507 Powell, 3d, et a1. Sept. 16, 1947 

1. A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF RODS WITH SOLID CORES COMPRISING BONDED FIBROUS MATERIAL, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES TREATING, WITH A BONDING AGENT, LONGTUDINALLY-ARRANGED FIBROUS ELEMENTS, AND APPLYING TENSION AND TWIST SIMULTANEOUSLY TO A BUNDLE OF THE SAID TREATED FIBROUS ELEMENTS WHILE SOLIDIFYING THE BONDING AGENT TO FORM A ROD HAVING A SOLID CORE.
 11. A SOLID-CORE ROD COMPRISING A BONDED ASSEMBLY OF TENSED AND TWISTED LONGITUDINALLY-ARRANGED FIBROUS ELEMENTS, SAID ASSEMBLY BEING CHARACTERIZED BY RIGIDITY AND MACHINEABILITY. 